By Tarun Basu. Asia Pacific, 11:01 AM IST

For those not so fortunate to be among the 90,000 present at the Bird's Nest National Olympic Stadium Friday night, authorities have set up what are called Olympic Live Sites with giant TV screens at key places in the city so that ordinary people can watch the 210-minute opening ceremony.

These sites will be telecasting live the events for the duration of the Games on high-definition screens where people will not only be able to view the ceremony and competitions but also enjoy cultural entertainment by Chinese and foreign performers.

Such sites were set up in Sydney during the 2000 Olympics and also at the 2006 football World Cup in Germany as well as the Euro Cup in Austria/Switzerland this year.

By Tarun Basu (Staff Writer, © IANS)